Risperdal Lawsuit Plaintiffs Receive $8 Million Following Death Of Family Member

LegalHerald.com reports on the conclusion of a lawsuit filed against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Jasnssen Pharmaceuticals regarding the anti-psychotic drug they manufacture, Risperdal. It has been announced that a jury awarded the family of a man who passed away during clinical trials on the drug, $8 million in compensation.

The victim was just 25 years old and had suffered from schizophrenia. Because Risperdal is approved to treat this condition, the young man was referred to the clinical trials by Janssen. Before entering, he reportedly had to undergo a pre-screening and it was noted that even though his EKG test results appeared to be abnormal, indicating, “possible heart disease,” he was later declared asymptomatic and allowed to participate in the February 2009 trial.

During a Fox 11 News Interview, the man’s family stated, “He should have never been in that study to begin with, and when they got that lab work back, they should have said ‘You know what, we’ll go find another [test] subject.’”

The family is understandably upset with the trial outcomes since after the young man was given Risperdal injections, his condition reportedly became progressively worse. Physicians monitoring him noted increasing liver enzyme levels and a subsequent EKG highlighted increasingly worse heart problems as well. Several days after beginning the clinical trial, the young man was admitted to an acute-care hospital to be monitored and he passed away there the day after his admission.

It was reported that an autopsy later revealed his cause of death to be dilated cardiomyopathy, which, in general, is a treatable heart condition, but one that can allegedly be complicated by Risperdal use.

During the trial, the physicians noted that the man would have had 50% greater of a chance of survival had he been sent to the acute-care hospital as soon as his elevated liver enzyme levels were discovered. His family was awarded a total of $8 million in compensation.

The attorneys of Banville Law understand how concerning these news stories may be for patients currently using Risperdal. They are working to assist others who have used the drug and have suffered from adverse health events that they believe were caused by it. Affected patients may be entitled to significant compensation gained through legal action, and deserve the opportunity to fully investigate their legal rights in the matter. Those interested in further exploring their rights are being offered free legal consultations by Banville Law attorneys at this time.

To request additional information on Risperdal lawsuits, or to ask questions at any time, please contact the attorneys of Banville Law by calling 888-997-3792.